(1) Seattle Seahawks (13-3) vs. (1) Denver Broncos (13-3)
(1) Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Overview
The Seahawks home crowd, the 12th man, proved its worth against the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers as the Seahawks beat both teams en route to the Super Bowl. In the Divisional Round, the Seahawks jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead against the Saints in tough weather conditions. Despite the Seahawks not playing their best game and a late, frantic rally by the Saints, the game was never really in doubt and the Seahawks defense never gave up the lead. The 49ers game was much more difficult. The Niners built an early 10-0 lead and took a 17-13 lead into the fourth quarter. On the 49ers 35 yard line and facing a 4th and 7, Russell Wilson made the biggest offensive play of the Seahawks season to date as he hit Jermaine Kearse for a long touchdown pass that gave the Seahawks a lead the defense would never surrender. They forced 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick into three turnovers in the final quarter, including an interception in the endzone with 22 second left to end the game and send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
Offense (Averages per game):
Points: 26.1 (8th) Pass Yards: 202.3 (26th) Rush Yards: 136.8 (4th)
On offense, the Seahawks are a running team and ride the physical, punishing style of running back Marshawn Lynch. He continued his great play with 249 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in their first two postseason games. He is definitely a beast. He is powerful and great at gaining yards after contact. Quarterback Russell Wilson has not done much in the playoffs but the Seahawks have not needed him to do much in the games. Nevertheless, he hit Jermaine Kearse for the go ahead touchdown in the NFC Championship game on a 4th and long when his team needed him to make a big play. Wilson is a talented young quarterback and great leader. Do not sleep on him. If his team needs him to make big plays in the Super Bowl, he can definitely do it. The Seahawks receivers have been nothing special but they step up when needed. Doug Baldwin racked up over 100 yards receiving against a great 49er defense. The one receiver on their roster that can be absolutely explosive is Percy Harvin. However, he has not played much this season and missed the NFC Championship Game due to a concussion. I do not know what the Seahawks can expect from him at this point. If he was playing consistently and firing on all cylinders, he would be one of the most explosive players on the field.
Defense (Averages per game):
Points: 14.4 (1st) Pass Yards: 172 (1st) Rush Yards: 101.6 (7th)
The Seahawks have the number 1 ranked defense in the NFL with the best secondary. Richard Sherman is among the elite cornerbacks in the league. He displayed it during the final play of the NFC Championship game when he made an amazing, athletic play to deflect the pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the endzone so his linebacker could intercept the football. Moreover, the Seahawks have the best safeties in the game. Safety Earl Thomas is arguably the best defensive player in the game. Even Sherman admits that Thomas is better than him. Although Thomas dropped a couple of interceptions in the two playoff games, he is a ball hawk and had 5 interceptions during the regular season. Opposing quarterbacks need to be aware of him at all times. Nothing showed the brilliance of this secondary more in the playoffs than when they completely took the Saints superstar tight end Jimmy Graham out of the game during the Divisional Round. Overall, they forced the most turnovers of any defense in the NFL with 39. They also force a lot of pressure with 44 sacks, tied for 4th in the NFL.
Special Teams:
Steven Hauschka has been one of the best kickers in the league. He hit 33/35 field goals in the regular season, including 11/12 from 40-49 yards and 3/3 from over 50 yards. He has hit all 6 of his field goals in the postseason. The 47 yard field goal in the fourth quarter against the 49ers was important as it extended the Seahawks lead to 23-17 and forced the Niners to drive for a touchdown to win the game instead of having the option to settle for a field goal to tie the game.
(1) Denver Broncos (13-3)
Overview
The Broncos defense has stepped up in the playoffs by stuffing the run. Peyton Manning has staked them with early leads and the defense has held the lead. Against the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round, they built a 17-0 lead. The Chargers rallied furiously in the fourth quarter to score 17 points and cut it to a one possession game. However, Manning led his offense to pad the lead with a touchdown in the 4th quarter and converted the first downs he needed at the end of the game to keep the ball away from the Chargers after they cut it to a one touchdown game. Accordingly, the Broncos held on for a 24-17 win. The AFC Championship Game was a lot more comfortable for the Broncos. They completely dominated the New England Patriots. After the Broncos punted on their first drive, they scored on every possession the rest of the game. In addition, their defense shut down the Patriots offense as it only scored 3 points before the 4th quarter. Tom Brady lead his offense to two cosmetic touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable. Although the Broncos won 26-16, it could have been a much bigger disparity if they finished a couple more drives with touchdowns and the Broncos defense did not switch to a prevent defense early in the 4th quarter. Nevertheless, the Broncos won the AFC and clinched a Super Bowl berth. Peyton Manning makes a third trip to the Super Bowl and gets another chance to win a second championship.
Offense (Averages per game):
Points: 37.9 (1st) Pass Yards: 340.3 (1st) Rush Yards: 117.1 (15th)
Peyton Manning has been great in the playoffs. He did what he needed to do against the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round. He played an excellent against the New England Patriots by completely controlling the AFC Championship Game. Demaryius Thomas continues to be the big play wide receiver. He is tall, big, and fast. He has 15 receptions for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns in the playoffs. He dominated the Patriots for 7 receptions, 134 yards, and a touchdown. Tight end Julius Thomas has also been a key. He has really been a difference maker since emerging as a star this season. In the playoffs, he has 14 receptions for 161 yards. Beyond these stats, he has been a go to target for Peyton Manning in key spots and has caught some key first downs in big moments. 8 of his postseason receptions have resulted in first downs. While Eric Decker and Wes Welker have also made key catches, their overall stats are modest. However, the beauty of this offense is the multitude of weapons. Any of their four receivers can have a big game. Manning will take what is given to him and beat you with what you do give him. It would not be surprising at all if Decker or Welker are major factors in the Super Bowl if the Seahawks focus on stopping the two Thomases. Of course, we cannot forget about running back Knowshon Moreno. Manning has really made him a better player and saved his career. Moreno has continued his great season with a solid postseason totaling 141 rushing yards in the playoffs. He is the key to a balanced offensive attack. Most importantly, the Broncos offensive line has been able to protect Manning. He has been allowed the luxury to stand in the pocket and pick his opponents apart. It is almost impossible to slow him down without an effective pass rush.
Defense (Averages per game):
Points: 24.9 (22nd) Pass Yards: 254.4 (27th) Rush Yards: 101.6 (8th)
The Broncos defense was really decimated in the regular season with injuries. While they forced a decent number of turnovers in the regular season, they generated very little pass rush as they were last in the NFL with 20 sacks. It has really stepped up in the playoffs by stuffing the run against the Chargers and Patriots. The Chargers gouged the Broncos defense for over 170 rushing yards in their regular season game in Denver. They were held to 65 yards in the rematch during the Divisional Round. Moreover, it generated a pass rush against Philip Rivers and sacked him 4 times. Similarly, the Broncos run defense held the Patriots rushing attack to 64 yards a week after it steamrolled the Indianapolis Colts for 234 yards and 6 touchdowns. However, the defense is susceptible to big plays from opposing passing games. During the Chargers rally in the 4th quarter of the Divisional Game, Keenan Allen made play after play. Similar to Demaryius Thomas, Allen is big, tall, and fast. He carved up the Broncos for 6 receptions, 142 yards, and 2 touchdowns late. On the other hand, the Patriots do not have a receiver like Allen and could not take advantage of the Broncos secondary.
Special Teams:
Matt Prater is a great weapon. He hit 25 of 26 field goals. His only miss was from 50+ yards and he broke the NFL record making a 64 yarder this season. He hit a 54 yard field goal against the Patriots in the fourth quarter to make it a 16 point game with 7 minutes left. With the Patriots down 2 touchdowns and 2 two point conversions, the game was all but over. Both kickers are major weapons in the Super Bowl. Trindon Holliday is also a weapon in the return game. He is an explosive returner with a return touchdown this season. He has two career kick return touchdowns. Both are with the Broncos.
The Matchup
It is a Super Bowl against the two top seeds in both Conferences. In recent times, teams playing in the Wild Card Rounds have knocked off a lot of the higher seeds and made it into the Super Bowl. As a result, it is actually a rarity in the current NFL that the two top seeds make it to a Super Bowl. Moreover, it is the highest scoring offense in NFL history against the number 1 ranked defense. It is the quarterback with the most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season versus the best passing defense in the NFL today. This matchup alone is enough to make this Super Bowl absolutely fascinating. Nevertheless, the biggest story will be Peyton Manning trying to cement his legacy and make a stronger case of being the greatest quarterback of all time. He is clearly the best of all time in the regular season. A second Super Bowl win will go a long way in debunking the knocks against his playoff struggles. On the other hand, the Seahawks have a second year quarterback in Russell Wilson who is already a tremendous, charismatic leader with a potential to be great. Accordingly, you have the old immortal quarterback going against the young gun who may begin his path to greatness winning a Super Bowl in his second season. This storyline is also intriguing. Another matchup I look forward to seeing is Marshawn Lynch against the Broncos run defense. The Broncos defense have a top ten run defense and shut down the Chargers and Patriots running games. Lynch is better. He is as tough and physical as any running back in the NFL. I am interested to see if the Broncos run defense can do it one more time and stuff the run.
The two teams did not meet in the regular season. The most comparable opponent the Broncos faced in the regular season is the Kansas City Chiefs. There are many similarities between the Chiefs and the Seahawks. They both have top defenses that force turnovers: Chiefs (36) and Seahawks (39). Both teams have effective pass rushes that can sack the quarterback: Chiefs (41) and Seahawks (44). On offense, both teams are running teams and have elite running backs as the Chiefs have Jamaal Charles and the Seahawks have Marshawn Lynch. Moreover, they both have quarterbacks that are efficient game managers who can make key plays but are not heavily relied upon: Alex Smith and Russell Wilson. In the two games against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos won both games and lit them up for 27 and 35 points. However, make no mistake about it. The Seahawks are a better version of the Chiefs. They are more physical, more mentally tough, and better on defense. Although Kansas City had a top defense, the Seahawks have the top defense. Moreover, the Chiefs give up a lot of yardage while the Seahawks do not. The Chiefs are the best proxy but they still do not completely mirror the Seahawks.
The keys to this game will be:
1) Offense vs. defense – It is the most prolific passing game in NFL history against the top passing defense today. Something has got to give. The unit that gets the better of the other in this matchup should decide the game. It puts to test again the old adage of defense winning championships. In the four previous Super Bowl matchups that pitted the number 1 offense against the number 1 defense, the number 1 defense won 3 of the Supebowls. I am really looking forward to seeing whether Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Richard Sherman are enough to stop Manning’s 4 top targets.
2) Pass rush against Peyton Manning – While the Bronco receivers vs. the Seahawks secondary will be the marquee matchup, the Seattle pass rushers can make a significant impact on the game. Manning will pick apart any defense if you let him stand in the pocket unscathed.
3) Russell Wilson – Big plays can be made against the Broncos secondary. The Seahawks have limited the use of Wilson at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. However, he is a talented young quarterback that can make big plays and made the most significant offensive play in the NFC Championship Game. Pete Carroll and his coaching staff must display more confidence in Wilson and let him throw more against the Broncos.
4) Seahawks wide receivers – Percy Harvin is an explosive player. However, he has not played much and is recovering from a concussion against the Saints in the Divisional Round. Accordingly, he is not a reliable factor in this game. While their receiving core lacks the clear big receiver like Keenan Allen or the completely reliable possession receiver like Julian Edelman, they do have a couple of good and underrated wide receivers in Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin. They can change the game if they can exploit a weak Broncos secondary unlike the Patriots. Philip Rivers had his moments going to Keenan Allen but it was late in the game.
5) Weather – More inclement weather usually favors the more physical team, which is clearly the Seattle Seahawks in this game. However, they will not play this game in a blizzard if one hits on Sunday. The NFL has already said they would look to move the game to Friday or Saturday if a severe storm is expected to hit on Super Bowl Sunday. Accordingly, I do not anticipate weather being the dominant factor in the game.
Prediction:
TBA in my upcoming Super Bowl debate with Rookerville Editor in Chief, Matt Cargile.
About Pat Wong
Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.